


Pillar

by whimsicallyconfuzzled



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College Reader, College Ushijima, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Volleyball, i love ushijima, living the university life, me warning y'all that chemistry is hard, mostly just fluff, really slight tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24302569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsicallyconfuzzled/pseuds/whimsicallyconfuzzled
Summary: pil·lar/ˈpilər: a tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a supportthe first time he said "I love you"
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Kudos: 61





	Pillar

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from my tumblr writing/imagines blog.

You stare out of the window, mindlessly stirring your iced coffee. Sighing, you turn back to the painfully difficult chemistry chapter sitting on the table in front of you. Damn you for having to take _more_ chemistry in university. You’d thought you would be done with the cursed subject after graduating from high school, but _oh no,_ that was very much not the case. Of course aspiring to be a physical therapist involved you having to, once again, torture yourself with molecules and complicated formulae. You’re working on one of your assignments and decided that a change of scenery could help you maybe internalize some of the content before the exam. And while you were quite good at the subject, you were distracted, reminiscing about your boyfriend.

Ushijima Wakatoshi, the ace of your university’s volleyball team. You’d long been an avid fan of volleyball and had followed his career during your time in high school. Unlike him, you’d gotten into your university the regular way—exams. You never imagined that you would end up at the same school as him. By some miracle you’d gotten in, only to hear a few days later that _the_ Ushijima Wakatoshi had also committed to the same school you were going to. You were elated and vowed to attend as many of the home volleyball matches as your schedule would allow.

You didn’t think he would notice you, but by chance, you had accidentally bumped into him while his team was packing up after a match. You’d manage to squeak out something resembling a greeting and to your surprise, he’d recognized you from his matches. “You’re the girl who usually sits next to the rest of the team in the stands,” he’d replied. “You cheer very loudly,” he added on. You’d blushed in embarrassment, squawked out some version of thank you and then scurried away.

That’s how it started, “accidentally” bumping into each other after matches (although he now fully admits that he would secretly wait for you outside the stadium after every game). Greetings and occasional compliments turned into longer conversations before parting ways at the bus stop, which slowly transformed into walks to the local coffee shop (the one you’re currently sitting in now) where you would have conversations over hot beverages late into the evening.

It was probably inevitable that you’d fallen. It just happened—one day you just had a realization that maybe, just maybe, you’d developed a pretty major crush on your university’s volleyball ace. Never in a million years did you think he’d feel the same, but for some reason, fate had smiled upon you. Through an awkward conversation, you’d both managed to confess your mutual feelings after the semi-finals of the winter inter-university tournament of your first year (in which Ushijima and his team had then proceeded to demolish all the other contenders for first place). Your weeks became a routine of seeing games, doing work, hanging out with friends, and date nights with Ushijima.

The spring after you’d started dating had been unusually chilly. You’d caught a nasty cold a couple days before the preliminaries for the spring volleyball season. Although you’d still went, your sore throat and lingering cough had put a damper on your usually obnoxious cheering. Sniffling with your runny nose, you’d made your way back to the locker room entrance (you were far too familiar with the layout at this point) only to find Ushijima looking almost _angry_. “What’s got you in such a bad mood Wakatoshi?” you teased, wincing at how hoarse your voice sounded (okay, so maybe you had gone a bit overboard with the cheering even though you were supposed to be resting your poor throat).

He seemed to stare at you for a while. “Why are you here?” he says, his deep voice rumbling through the crisp dusk air.

You were not expecting his reply. “What do you mean ‘why am I here’?” you splutter, struggling to comprehend why he seemed utterly _pissed_ that you had attended his game.

“You were distracting me.” He was frowning now.

“Well I’m sorry I want to see my boyfriend” - _cough_ \- “and support him” - _cough_ \- “during an” - _cough, cough_ \- “important match,” - _cough_. “Give me a break will you?” you manage to add before falling to a particularly aggressive round of hacking up your lungs.

“That is not what I mean,” he murmurs, stepping closer to offer you a handkerchief. “You shouldn’t have come while you were sick y/n.”

“I’m fine Wakatoshi,” you groan before blowing your nose. “I’m already over the worst of it. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

“I still think you should have stayed home to rest,” he grumbles and he wraps his scarf around your neck. You bury your face into the soft gray fabric to hide your blush. “I was worried about your throat with all that cheering you did.”

“I’m _fine_ , Wakatoshi,” you manage to say exasperatedly before descending into another fit of coughing.

“You are most definitely _not_ fine,” he growls. Your eyes widen, startled by how upset he sounds. He takes a few calming breaths before wrapping his arm around your shoulders and tugging you towards the bus stop. “I’m walking you home.”

You try to squirm out of his grip. “Wakatoshi you live on the opposite side of campus, it’ll be too much of a hassle. Just let me go home on my own.”

He stiffens and his arm around you tightens before bursting out into a yell. “ **GOD DAMN IT** y/n! Can’t you just let me take care of you?” You’re spooked by the sudden increase in volume, unable to stop yourself from flinching. Ushijima pauses to look at you before taking a couple of deep breaths. “Sorry,” he says, loosening his grip on your shoulders. “I’m just very worried about you. Can you…” another deep breath, “….can you just let me do this for you? Please y/n?” You think you’re imagining the slight crack in his voice as he says your name.

“Fine. Don’t blame me when you get sick, Ushibaka,” you reply, sticking out your tongue. He chuckles and rubs a few reassuring circles into your shoulders.

“I’m not the one with a weak immune system, y/n. I won’t get sick from such a minor cold.”

“Yah! Ushijima Wakatoshi, stop mocking me I am a perfectly healthy woman in her twenties!” you protest, pouting at his teasing. The rest of your ride home is filled with shared banter and soft chuckles, the two of you smiling until you’re inside your dorm room.

When he finally has you tucked into bed after insisting you down a steaming cup of chamomile tea he smiles, pressing a kiss on your forehead. “Goodnight y/n.”

“Noooo, Wakatoshi, can’t you stay for….a few more minutes?”

“We both know if I stay a ‘few minutes’ I’ll be walking home at one in the morning y/n.”

“Please, take pity on your sick girlfriend!” you wail, flailing around in your pile of blankets and pillows.

Ushijima sighs, amused by your sudden clinginess. “I love you y/n, but I need to get some sleep before morning practice.” And just like that, it happens. Nothing fancy - no fireworks in the distance or a candlelit dinner. It’s just the two of you in the evening, sitting in your dimly lit room filled with your old volleyball posters and ratty tapestries. The first time one of you has said ‘I love you.’ It’s not that you didn’t love him (you’d known very early on that your affection for him ran much deeper than a schoolgirl crush), rather it’s a realization that what you have is so tangibly _real_. Part of you wants to jump out of bed and run around declaring to the world that your dorky boyfriend loves you. But another part of you is just…content.

“Okay, okay. Go home Wakatoshi. Text me when you get back?” He nods, before standing to leave. You bite your lip and hesitantly follow with, “Love you too,” before squeaking and burying yourself under the covers. You think you hear a hearty laugh from him as the door slams shut. Your face is stretched into a grin and probably blushing madly right now, but you can’t help but let out a small giggle.

_Ushijima Wakatoshi loves you. (And you love him back with just as much passion as he has for you.)_

“I’d thought I’d find you here y/n.” A deep voice interrupts your pleasant trip down memory lane. Looking up you see Ushijima, now clad in a thick coat, with a few snowflakes sticking to his dark hair. “Shall we go home?”

“Sure,” you sigh, knowing that it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to get any more of your chemistry assignment done by tonight (you still have the weekend to finish it).

Packing up your notebooks and laptop, you grab your cup of chamomile tea and head out the door with him. The two of you walk back to your shared apartment down the street. In the crisp winter chill of your third winter together you pull him closer and press a kiss onto his cheek. “Love you,” you whisper in his ear. Ushijima just chuckles, lacing his gloved fingers through yours, “I love you too, y/n.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: @cherryonigiri


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